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kenchubb
Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:23 pm Post subject: Ahhhhhhhh Questions about Teaching in Taiwan |
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Good day to you all,
I'll try and make this brief because sometimes I get carried away and re-write War&Peace.
Basically I am seriously considering coming to Taiwan (probably Taipei) to teach English within the next 2 months. I was originally planning on Korea but after reading numerous suicide notes on the Korean forum and speaking to a few people I know who've been there it doesn't seem like the best place to go. So to Taiwan - I was just wondering 2 things
1) What are the chances of being able to save money?
I don't mean in a mega bucks lets buy a racehorse and yacht sort of way, just enough to be able to enjoy my time there, as well as being able to save a bit to allow me to go travelling around SE Asia.
2) What are the expectations of the schools there?
I've got a BA degree and have also done a Tefl course (it was only however an intensive weekend course), but apart from that I have no real teaching experience. Will this go against me or hinder my chances of getting a job? (I've heard that you have to give a demonstration lesson.)
3) What's the social scene there like?
What I mean is not in a woooooahhhh being sick on things sort of way, but is there a good set up for 'foreigners' coming there; how easy is it to integrate into Taiwanese (urban) society?
I'm quite an enthusiastic person, and am very eager to start teaching as soon as possible.
Sory about the lebgth of this post but I would really appreciate it if anyone could help me out with the above questions. Those who do will be repayed with a Terry's Chocolate Orange, or even a kingsize Twix.
Cheers,
Chris |
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demaratus
Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:00 pm Post subject: Re: Ahhhhhhhh Questions about Teaching in Taiwan |
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| kenchubb wrote: |
Good day to you all,
I'll try and make this brief because sometimes I get carried away and re-write War&Peace.
Basically I am seriously considering coming to Taiwan (probably Taipei) to teach English within the next 2 months. I was originally planning on Korea but after reading numerous suicide notes on the Korean forum and speaking to a few people I know who've been there it doesn't seem like the best place to go. So to Taiwan - I was just wondering 2 things
1) What are the chances of being able to save money?
I don't mean in a mega bucks lets buy a racehorse and yacht sort of way, just enough to be able to enjoy my time there, as well as being able to save a bit to allow me to go travelling around SE Asia.
2) What are the expectations of the schools there?
I've got a BA degree and have also done a Tefl course (it was only however an intensive weekend course), but apart from that I have no real teaching experience. Will this go against me or hinder my chances of getting a job? (I've heard that you have to give a demonstration lesson.)
3) What's the social scene there like?
What I mean is not in a woooooahhhh being sick on things sort of way, but is there a good set up for 'foreigners' coming there; how easy is it to integrate into Taiwanese (urban) society?
I'm quite an enthusiastic person, and am very eager to start teaching as soon as possible.
Sory about the lebgth of this post but I would really appreciate it if anyone could help me out with the above questions. Those who do will be repayed with a Terry's Chocolate Orange, or even a kingsize Twix.
Cheers,
Chris |
I have worked in Taiwan (Kaohsiung) and I am on my way to Korea in Feb. I really enjoyed my time in Taiwan, and I am looking forward to Korea.
To start I will try to answer your questions:
1: The chances of saving money are good, but be realistic. If you drink, eat western food often and generally spend lots you will have trouble saving. I traveled every time it was feasible, drank too much and am only okay with money. But I had a good job and good people around me to show me the ropes, so I was able to still save about $1000 CAD a month. financially Korea is a better deal, this has been debated for a long time, but you will see most people who know both support Korea as a better place to make and save money.
2: Having a degree is all that matters. Unfortunately a tefl means nothing in Taiwan. unless its a masters from a legit university, even then, its not likely to help much. The way you look and are able to keep peoples attention you will do fine. Doing a demo is no big deal, I did one on my second night in the country, it was a breeze even with jet lag and little sleep. Just be energetic and confident, remember its only kids and their parents.
3: Taipei has a solid nightlife. Great clubs, lotsa stuff to do an see. However, it is not the only place in Taiwan. Kaohsiung, where I lived, was nice, had a great expat scene complete with quite a few locals who welcomed foreigners and many who even integrated into the expat scene. There were lots of restuarants, pubs and other things in other cities that are just fine outside of Taipei. Taichung, Tainan, Hsinchu and Pingtung are all decent places as well. Don't put all your eggs in the Taipei basket. Taiwanese people can be very nice, generous and welcoming people, but don't kid yourself some xenophobia exists there too, its just not as in your face like it is in Korea.
If you are freaked out by the new Korean visa process, don't be. There is some red tape and it isn't the most convenient process, but its really not a reason to not consider it. Red tape exists in all Asian countries, Taiwan included.
If its just the negative vibe you get bout Korea on these forums also consider that few people take the time to post positive things, but when something negative happens people go wild here. And there are a lot more people teaching in Korea, its a big business in Taiwan, but its a huge business in Korea.
Not trying to dissuade you from choosing Taiwan, just laying it out there for you as I see it. |
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BigWally
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 765
Location: Ottawa, CAN (prev. Kaohsiung "the Dirty South")
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| Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:30 am Post subject: |
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| kenchubb wrote: |
1) What are the chances of being able to save money?
I don't mean in a mega bucks lets buy a racehorse and yacht sort of way, just enough to be able to enjoy my time there, as well as being able to save a bit to allow me to go travelling around SE Asia. |
Your first 4-5 months you probably shouldn't be expecting to save much money. For the better part of the first year, depending on your lifestyle, and how much travel you're looking to do, you might be able to save anywhere between $500-1000US a month.
| kenchubb wrote: |
2) What are the expectations of the schools there?
I've got a BA degree and have also done a Tefl course (it was only however an intensive weekend course), but apart from that I have no real teaching experience. Will this go against me or hinder my chances of getting a job? (I've heard that you have to give a demonstration lesson.) |
If you have a BA then you're fine. Even better if you come from North America, as some schools only look for people with a "North American" accent. Now of course, not all schools go this way, but some do, and it does open more opportunities to people from that area.
Also, depending on the school, you may or may not have a demo. You may or may not have a curriculum planned out for you, you even may or may not be given books to teach with. Most of the bigger chain schools offer some sort of curriculum plan, and consistent books, but many feel like those schools are "conveyor belt" English learning. Others enjoy it. Its a matter of personal opinion what method better suits your personality. As for what to do on the demo, well there are plenty of posts about what to do in a demo if you just do a quick search.
| kenchubb wrote: |
3) What's the social scene there like?
What I mean is not in a woooooahhhh being sick on things sort of way, but is there a good set up for 'foreigners' coming there; how easy is it to integrate into Taiwanese (urban) society? |
Depending on where you live the experience will be drastically different.
If you're on a small town on the east coast then you may be the only foreigner in town.
If you're in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan or any of the other smaller cities then you're probably more apt to seeing other foreigners around on a regular basis. From my experience, its fairly easy to find an "ex-pat" hang out in most major towns/cities.
If you're in Taipei, well its the only really major city in Taiwan and it offers pretty much anything you want as far as a social scene. Plenty of foreigners there with out a doubt.
Last edited by BigWally on Thu Jan 31, 2008 7:23 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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craigzy
Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 87
Location: taichung
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| Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:33 am Post subject: Re: Ahhhhhhhh Questions about Teaching in Taiwan |
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| kenchubb wrote: |
1) What are the chances of being able to save money?
2) What are the expectations of the schools there?
3) What's the social scene there like?
Sory about the lebgth of this post but I would really appreciate it if anyone could help me out with the above questions. Those who do will be repayed with a Terry's Chocolate Orange, or even a kingsize Twix.
Cheers,
Chris |
1. see the answer to question 3.
2. being punctual.
3. see the answer to question 1.
but, seriously, id pay top dollar for a chocolate orange right now. |
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